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Iran has tested a cruise missile called "Sumar" that is capable of carrying nuclear weapons in addition to test-firing a medium-range ballistic missile on Sunday, German newspaper Die Welt reported Thursday, citing unspecified intelligence sources.

No comment was immediately available from Germany's BND foreign intelligence agency or from Iranian authorities.

The newspaper said the Sumar cruise missile was built in Iran and traveled around 600 km in its first known successful test. The missile is believed to be capable of carrying nuclear weapons and may have a range of 2,000 to 3,000 km, the paper said, citing intelligence sources.

The LORA is an artillery weapon system which consists of a long-range tactical ground-to-ground missile developed by the Company IAI from Israel. It was first announced in 2003, unveiled in 2006 at Eurosatory defene exposition in France, and displayed for the first time to the public in 2007 at Paris Air Show.It is intended for strike scenarios with a range of up to 400 km and boasts precision range of 10 meters or better. The LORA missile weighs approx. 1,600 kg.

During the trail the ground version of the artillery weapon system was positioned on a naval vessel far out in the sea, in compliance with safety requirements for trails of this kind. The missile was launched from an operational system that consists of a command trailer and ground launcher. Following the launch, the missile has navigated its course to the target, striking the designated target with high precision. Both the weapon system and the missile have successfully met all objectives.

According to an official statement from North Korea's intercontinental ballistic missile "Hwaseong-14 'flew 933 kilometers, reached a height of 2802 kilometers and accurately hit the target after 39 minutes after the start. Earlier that North Korea launched a rocket flew for about 40 minutes at a distance of over 930 km and reached a height far exceeding 2,500 kilometers reported in the Japanese Defense Ministry .

The rocket was launched at the most steep path at the lowest possible range, according to preliminary estimates at the start of the normal trajectory of the missile can reach from 6700 to 9000 km, which means that the radius of destruction is at least the whole of Alaska and Hawaii, and if the estimates 9000 km., there almost all the west coast of the United States in the blast radius.

this thing is clearly meant to touch every part of japan, guam and hawaii and marginally shake a stick at alaska also.

I am sure a bigger weapon perhaps a 3 stage one is coming to put entire conus in range...if he can build some 20 and tip them with N-warheads after a test or two, he will be in same better position as china was until a decade ago with its unwieldy DF5 ICBMs also liquid fuelled and very huge.

if massa has the balls to do anything, the window is 5 yrs and shrinking.

Interesting aspect Hwaseong-14 missile is they dont have any kind of conventional surfaces either for roll stability or atmospheric control , Which means it uses some kind of RCS/TVC on its liquid engine on all stages of flight for manouvering which is quite remarkable !

Singha wrote:his viewing machan on the hill is impressive - wooden desk and all. shows commitment not to watch from safety of a bunker but let it all hang out.

One thing you can trust these sly dictators to have is a strong sense of self preservation... maybe the machan on the hill is hundreds of miles away AND/OR the fat Un at the launch site is not the real Un

RAAF receives its final EA-18G. They are also now development partners in the Next Generation Jammer Program, and also ordered the AARGM strike weapon as the DEAD weapon for the platform a few months ago.

The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) has received into service its full complement of 12 Boeing EA-18G Growler electronic attack (EA) aircraft ordered from the United States.

The final aircraft arrived at RAAF Amberley in Queensland on 5 July, some four months after the first aircraft were showcased in late February at the Avalon Airshow 2017.

With all the Growlers now delivered, the RAAF will formally stand-up the type in 2018, with full operating capability following in 2022. These platforms will later be supplemented by five modified Gulfstream G550s that will provide a long-range EA support capability.

The RAAF's Growler programme dates to May 2013, at which time the government announced the AUD1.5-billion (USD1.14 billion) procurement effort. The contract was placed the following year, with the first flight of an Australian Growler taking place in July 2015. RAAF crews have been training alongside US Navy (USN) personnel at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island in Washington state since 2013.

Australia and the United States will jointly develop and improve the platform within the framework of a research, testing, development, and evaluation initiative that spans to 2035. This is likely to include the development of Raytheon's Next Generation Jammer (NGJ), currently under development to replace the USN's current AN/ALQ-99 system.

As noted in Jane's World Air Forces , plans for infrastructure to support Growler operations in Australia include two mobile threat emitter systems to be located near Amberley in Queensland, and a more capable system at the Delamere Air Weapons Range in Australia's Northern Territory.The RAAF's 12 aircraft bring Boeing's total programme of record for the Growler to 172 aircraft, with the remainder intended for the USN.

While Australia has not yet signed up for this upgrade, it is likely that the RAAF's aircraft will undergo the process alongside those of the USN in order to maintain a common fleet for interoperability and supportability reasons.

An update from AWIN on USN's status for the Growler Program. 136/163 delivered (133 operational) to support the Carrier borne and X-squadrons with possibility of more to be ordered. My guess is that they will build a fleet of around 200 aircraft with more orders coming in the 2020-2022 time-frame once the Navy begins full rate production of the NGJ pods.

U.S. Navy Steadfast For Now On 160-Aircraft Growler Fleet AWIN June, 14.2017

The U.S. Navy says its planned fleet of 160 Boeing EA-18G Growlers is enough for now, but several factors could see that number increase. A Defense Department-level assessment of the “joint warfighter requirement” for airborne electronic attack assets requested by Congress will consider whether 160 Growlers is a large enough force.

The Navy might also need additional Growlers if the Trump administration makes good on its promise to introduce a 12th aircraft carrier, up from 11 today, when counting the long-awaited lead ship of the Ford-class carrier series (CVN-78) delivered earlier this month.

That would require the service to fully restore its 10th carrier air wing. Each wing contains about eight squadrons of fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters, including a group of EA-18Gs.

In written testimony to the Senate Armed Services seapower subcommittee on June 13, the Navy says the total procurement quantity of 160 EA-18Gs fulfills its requirement. But the Pentagon may explore additional quantities to meet combined service needs.

Speaking after the committee hearing on Capitol Hill, Navy Air Warfare Director Rear Adm. DeWolfe Miller confirmed that 160 aircraft is enough for now, but the DOD’s study could impact that total number.

“We’ve had several studies in recent years reaffirm that [160] number for us,” Miller says. “If we get a 12th aircraft carrier, we will assess what the requirement would be for the 10th carrier air wing.”

The planned number of Growlers has already ballooned by 77% to 160 aircraft from the original requirement of 84.

The EA-18G is designed to “detect, identify, locate

and suppress” hostile emitters such as integrated air defense system radars and enemy command centers. It is a derivative of the BoeingF/A-18E/F Super Hornet, so any additional orders help keep production at the minimum sustainable level of 24 aircraft per year.

Boeing to date has delivered 136 aircraft to the Navy out of 163 ordered. That number includes three freebies that Boeing will provide as part of a 2014 legal settlement linked to the failed McDonnell Douglas A-12 Avenger II program, which was canceled in 1991.

The final batch of seven aircraft was funded in the Navy’s fiscal 2016 budget, and no new aircraft have been requested from fiscal 2017 onward.

Boeing is still hoping the Navy buys more Growlers along with the Advanced “Block III” Super Hornet. The company has already begun touting an “Advanced Growler,” which has a suite of new capabilities including the Raytheon-built Next Generation Jammer, which will begin replacing the legacy ALQ-99 Tactical Jamming Systems in fiscal 2021.

The Navy expects to buy 80 additional Super Hornets while also transitioning to the carrier-variant Lockheed MartinF-35C Lightning II.

First time the THAAD will be tested against an Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile Target (3000 km to 5500 km ranged system). As the article suggests this test (FTT-18 code) was scheduled to take place in the third quarter of 2017 and the time-frame was made public in the first half of 2016.

The United States plans to carry out a new test of its THAAD missile defense system against an intermediate-range ballistic missile in the coming days, two U.S. officials told Reuters on Friday, as tensions with North Korea climb.

Despite being planned months ago, the U.S. missile defense test will gain significance in the wake of North Korea's launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on July 4 that has heightened concerns about the threat from Pyongyang.

WASHINGTON, Jul. 10, 2017 - The State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to the United Kingdom for Joint Light Tactical Vehicles (JLTV) and accessories. The estimated cost is $1.035 billion. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale today.

The Government of the United Kingdom (UK) has requested a possible sale of up to two thousand seven hundred forty-seven (2,747) Joint Light Tactical Vehicles (JLTV). This possible sale also includes baseline integration kits, basic issue item kits, B-kit armor, engine arctic kits, fording kits, run-flat kits, spare tire kits, silent watch kits, power expansion kits cargo cover kits, maintainer and operator training, U.S. government technical assistance and logistics support services, and other related elements of logistics and program support. Total estimated cost is $1.035 billion.

This proposed sale supports the foreign policy and national security policies of the United States by helping to improve the security of a NATO ally which has been, and continues to be, an important partner on critical foreign policy and defense issues.

The proposed sale will help improve the UK’s Light Tactical Vehicle Fleet and enhance its ability to meet current and future threats. The UK will have no difficulty absorbing this equipment into its armed forces.

The proposed sale will not alter the basic military balance in the region.

The principal contractor of this sale will be Oshkosh Defense, LLC, Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The procured items will require minimum contractor support until the foreign customer can eventually transition to internal organic support. There is no known offset agreement associated with this proposed sale.

There will be no adverse impact on U.S. defense readiness as a result of this proposed sale.

This notice of a potential sale is required by law and does not mean the sale has been concluded.

brar_w wrote:First time the THAAD will be tested against an Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile Target (3000 km to 5500 km ranged system). As the article suggests this test (FTT-18 code) was scheduled to take place in the third quarter of 2017 and the time-frame was made public in the first half of 2016.

The United States plans to carry out a new test of its THAAD missile defense system against an intermediate-range ballistic missile in the coming days, two U.S. officials told Reuters on Friday, as tensions with North Korea climb.

Despite being planned months ago, the U.S. missile defense test will gain significance in the wake of North Korea's launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on July 4 that has heightened concerns about the threat from Pyongyang.

The U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA), the Ballistic Missile Defense System Operational Test Agency, and U.S. Army soldiers of the 11th Air Defense Artillery Brigade from Fort Bliss, Texas, conducted an intercept test today of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) element of the nation’s ballistic missile defense system.

A ballistic missile target was air-launched by a U.S. Air Force C-17 over the Pacific Ocean north of Hawaii. A THAAD weapon system located at PSCA in Kodiak, Alaska, detected, tracked and intercepted the target. Preliminary indications are that planned flight test objectives were achieved and the threat-representative, intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) target was successfully intercepted by the THAAD weapon system.

“I couldn’t be more proud of the government and contractor team who executed this flight test today,” said MDA Director Lt. Gen. Sam Greaves. “This test further demonstrates the capabilities of the THAAD weapon system and its ability to intercept and destroy ballistic missile threats. THAAD continues to protect our citizens, deployed forces and allies from a real and growing threat.”

Soldiers from the 11th Air Defense Artillery Brigade conducted launcher, fire control and radar operations using the same procedures they would use in an actual combat scenario. Soldiers operating the equipment were not aware of the actual target launch time.

This was the 14th successful intercept in 14 attempts for the THAAD weapon system. The THAAD element provides a globally-transportable, rapidly-deployable capability to intercept ballistic missiles inside or outside the atmosphere during their final, or terminal, phase of flight. THAAD is strictly a defense system. The system uses hit-to-kill technology whereby kinetic energy destroys the incoming target. The high-altitude intercept mitigates effects of enemy weapons before they reach the ground.

The successful demonstration of THAAD against an IRBM-range missile threat bolsters the country’s defensive capability against developing missile threats in North Korea and other countries around the globe and contributes to the broader strategic deterrence architecture.

The mission of MDA is to develop and deploy a layered ballistic missile defense system to defend the United States, its deployed forces, allies and friends from ballistic missile attacks of all ranges in all phases of flight.

While the media will try to spin the North Korean angle, it is worth remembering that this test has been long delayed for priority and budget reasons and was scheduled to occur around this time for well over a year now. Last years US defense budget stated the time window in 2017 when they were aiming to conduct it. This date broadly fits that timeframe.

Here is the video of the IRBM (air launched) intercept. One can notice that unlike the test-unit that launches interceptors from Hawaii this one is actually from an operational battery and is a full up TEL.

That's a total of 15 Patriot Batteries. The Romanian deal will likely be the last "Raytheon" owned Patriot deal for the program with all subsequent orders including the 6 of the 8 Polish batteries to be the new Next Gen System that can't really be called a Raytheon system anymore.

At around 0.12 it can be seen that the plane tries to lift-off, the tail section (exhaust nozzles) hit the ground. the pilot retracts the landing gear or it gets retracted due to a malfunction, there is not enough lift and the aircraft continues to slide on the runway leading to the eventual fire

At around 0.12 it can be seen that the plane tries to lift-off, the tail section (exhaust nozzles) hit the ground. the pilot retracts the landing gear or it gets retracted due to a malfunction, there is not enough lift and the aircraft continues to slide on the runway leading to the eventual fire

I think so too. Looks like as he went to rotate, the read landing gear gave way.

This is a v.major development,as earlier France and Britain cooperated on fighters such as the Jag,etc. Europe and the Germans ,along with the Brits,built the Eurofarter/Typhoon. Dassault joining hands with the rest of Europe minus BAe,is going to revoluationise the European mil aviation scheme of things as Dassault brings a wealth of talent and products to the table.

Our Foreign Staff 13 JULY 2017 • 10:57AMFrance and Germany appeared to bury the hatchet over past rivalries on defence on Thursday, as they announced plans to build fighter jets together.

Speaking after a joint cabinet meeting in Paris, French president Emmanuel Macron also called on Chancellor Angela Merkel to help provide a €1bn fund to fix Europe's economic woes.

The pair's development of both manned and unmanned warplanes would replace France's Rafale jets and the Eurofighter, rival jets that compete fiercely for global sales.

"I believe that we have shown shortly after the new government here was installed that we are ready to activate Franco-German relations with a new impetus," Mrs Merkel said.

Both leaders also pledged to push ahead with the Eurodrone programme, which is expected to produce Europe's first fleet of military drones by 2020.

“This is a revolution, but we’re not afraid of revolutions when they are peaceful, well-thought and meant to last,” said Mr Macron.

Defence experts said the announcement was a slap in the face to Britain, Europe's leading military power, in the wake of its decision to leave the EU.

"It is a sign to the British. It means 'you are leaving the EU and we are driving forward. We are no longer interested in you blocking the EU on defence'," a senior German defence industry official told Reuters news agency. *(Bye,bye,Britannia...!)

It came as Mr Macron called on Germany to contribute towards a €1bn project which would help develop IT and nanotechnology as part of wider efforts to improve the eurozone.

"We have launched calls for projects, along with the Germans, to attract researchers as part of the “Make our planet great again” initiative," he told French newspaper Ouest France.

The joint declaration on defence did not say what role, if any, Britain would play in the Franco-German-led development. The country is Europe's biggest defence spender and a partner in the Eurofighter project alongside Germany, Spain and Italy.

France and the United Kingdom - both permanent U.N. Security Council members with close defence and security ties - agreed to cooperate on nuclear and missiles technology in 2010, but some French officials have expressed concerns about the impact of Brexit on defence.

Some analysts and defence officials said the Franco-German push to create a new fighter could drive Britain further towards industrial and defence cooperation with the United States.

Currently, Britain has a foot in both camps through the Lockheed Martin F-35 and a share of the Eurofighter programme through BAE.

With less than three months to go before Germany's legislative elections, it will be difficult for Paris and Berlin to move ahead on key issues such as the reform of the eurozone.

The French leader has proposed creating a finance minister, parliament and budget for the eurozone, which would require changes to EU treaties.

"I want the eurozone to have more coherence and convergence," Macron said in the Ouest-France interview.

Macron warned Germany that it must move to correct the "dysfunctions" of the eurozone and give it "the fate it deserves".

Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan on Sunday inaugurated the mass production line of a long-range air defense missile dubbed Sayyad-3 (Hunter-3), which is fully designed and manufactured by domestic military experts.

The production line of the state-of-the-art missiles was inaugurated during a ceremony on Saturday with Brigadier General Dehqan and Commander of Khatam al-Anbia Air Defense Base Brigadier General Farzad Esmaili in attendance. During the event, a number of the long-range missiles were also delivered to the Khatam al-Anbia Air Defense Base.Addressing the ceremony, Brigadier General Dehqan said the Sayyad-3 missiles have an operational range of 120 km and are able to fly at an altitude of 27km and designed to hit medium and long-range air threats.Iranian military experts and technicians have in recent years made great headways in manufacturing a broad range of indigenous equipment, making the armed forces self-sufficient in the arms sphere.